


Bang

by InvisiMeg



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Drama, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-06
Updated: 2015-09-06
Packaged: 2018-04-19 09:43:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4741658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InvisiMeg/pseuds/InvisiMeg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One shot.  With the world coming to an end, Clarke decides to spend her day in an unexpected way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bang

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first Clexa fic. I hadn’t intended on writing one until my current stories were over, but then I was listening to the Pixie Lott song called Bang and I suddenly had an idea that I couldn’t seem to not write. I would like to thank DaemonRider for reading over the story. I hope you all like it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Clarke rolled her eyes at her classmates, who were tossing paper balls at each other, trying to hit each other in the head.

“Okay, seriously?” she asked when one barely missed her by a few inches. “If you don’t stop—”

“What, you’re going to rat us out to your friend’s dad?” one of them interrupted.

“Shut it, Murphy,” Clarke heard from behind her.

“Your boyfriend thinks he’s so big and bad,” Murphy said.

“He’s not by boyfriend,” Clarke corrected.

“Like it matters,” Murphy replied.

“It does when Finn has a girlfriend,” Clarke said. “And that’s how rumors get started. Rumors I would rather not have to deal with right now.”

The last thing she wanted was for Raven to think something was going on between her and Finn. Yes, she may have had a crush on him in the past, but that was the past, and she wasn’t the type to try to come between two people. The moment she realized he had a girlfriend, she had told him that nothing could ever happen between them while he was dating Raven, and they were nothing more than friends now.

“Do you guys hear that?” Finn asked.

“What is that?” Jasper asked, craning his neck to look out the window.

“It sounds like an emergency siren,” Monty answered.

“What, like, a tornado?” Finn asked.

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Clarke replied.

“It doesn’t sound like nothing,” Finn argued.

Clarke looked toward the front of the room, where their teacher seemed engrossed in whatever she was looking at on her tablet, not bothering to even look up when the siren began blaring. Everyone else in the classroom was looking around at one another, but no one seemed to know what to do.

“Maybe we should get under our desks,” Monty suggested.

“But the skies are clear,” Jasper said, standing up to stare out the window. “Dude, someone’s running down the street.”

“Maybe he’s late for work or something,” Finn replied, standing up to join him.

“Sit down, you two,” the teacher said.

Finn and Jasper slowly sat back down in their seats, casting curious looks toward the window. They both clearly wanted to get up again, but their teacher was staring at them, waiting for them to make a move.

“Okay, this is stupid,” Clarke whispered, pulling her phone out of her bag when the teacher looked away again. “I’ll see what’s going on.”

It didn’t take her long to realize why the sirens were going off. As soon as she opened her browser, she saw the headline. She disbelievingly went to another page, though, and then another, but they all said the same thing. Slowly, she felt the color drain out of her face and her hands began to tingle like they always did when she was in shock.

“Clarke? Clarke?! What’s going—”

She felt Monty over her shoulder and she had little doubt that his sudden speechlessness meant he had seen the headlines. She still couldn’t tear her eyes away from the screen to look up at him. After a few moments, his hand came up and rested on her shoulder in silent comfort.

“Okay, you two are freaking me out,” Finn said. “What’s going on?”

A few seconds later, she felt Finn over her other shoulder, but she was still staring at her phone, looking for anything that would say it was all one big hoax.

“Nuclear bombs drop across the world?” Finn read. “This has to be a joke, right?”

“I don’t think it is,” Clarke whispered.

As she tried to load the next page, it was unable to connect, and she looked to see that she suddenly had no service. “Did anyone else’s phone just go out?”

“I got no signal,” Finn said.

“Me either,” Monty added. “Jasper?”

Jasper shook his head. “Sorry.”

The four looked around at each other with worried faces. All Clarke could think about was trying to figure out what to do next, but what do you do when you read that nuclear bombs have been dropped? She opened her mouth to tell everyone it would be okay even if she didn’t know that it would be, but before she could say anything, the lights in the room went out and one of the girls in the room screamed.

“Everyone, stay calm,” their teacher said.

But it was too late; Clarke could see the panicked look in a lot of people’s faces and she knew they weren’t the only ones who had seen the news. There were a lot of other cell phones out, and like hers, everyone else seemed to have lost their signals as well. Several people were roughly tapping at their screens and one of the guys had even thrown his phone onto the desk in apparent frustration.

“What are we going to do?” Monty asked.

“What can we do?” Finn asked.

“I know I’m not going to stay here,” Jasper stated.

“Where are you going to go?” Monty asked when Jasper grabbed his bag from the floor.

“Anywhere other than here,” Jasper replied.

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” Clarke said.

“If it’s true, a bomb could drop right on us,” Jasper replied. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not spending the rest of my time in this place.”

“He’s right,” Finn said. “I’m not staying here.”

Jasper was already walking down the aisle when Finn turned and grabbed his bag from where it was sitting next to the desk. Others were standing up from their desks as well while their teacher—who still seemed to have no idea what was going on—tried to call them back to their seats.

“Finn!” Clarke called out.

Finn stopped and turned around. “You should go too.”

“They’re right, you know?” Monty said as Finn walked toward the door along with half of the class. “We should go.”

“But where are we going to go?” Clarke asked. “How do you escape this?”

“Maybe you don’t,” Monty softly replied before shouldering his bag. “Goodbye, Clarke.”

***

Clarke was the last one out of the classroom, and by the time she’d walked into the hallway, it seemed like everyone in the school was heading toward the exit. A group of students ran past Clarke, and when she turned the corner, she was knocked to the side by her English teacher, who didn’t even look up. Pushing herself off the wall, she rubbed her shoulder and continued walking in the opposite direction as everyone else.

Word had obviously spread, and the classrooms were quickly emptying. There had been a large crowd near the front doors, and people were running out of the emergency exits, causing the alarms to sound. Clarke wanted to tell everyone to stay calm, but she knew it would go unnoticed. Everyone was in a complete panic, and nothing was going to change that.

The further Clarke walked toward the back of the school, the more people thinned out until she was alone in the darkened hallway. She could still hear yelling coming from behind her, but it was getting fainter as everyone made their way out of the school. When Clarke finally opened the back door and walked out into the humid air, though, it was like the sound exploded. There were more people shouting, horns were honking, and the emergency alarm was blaring.

As she walked across the asphalt and through the gate that led to the football field, she pulled her phone out, hoping she would somehow have a signal again. She groaned in frustration when she saw that she still had no service, and checked to see if there were any Wi-Fi networks available, but she was left disappointed again.

“I’m surprised you’re not running off like everyone else.”

Clarke looked over her shoulder at the bleachers, finding that she wasn’t as alone as she thought. “I didn’t know anyone else was out here.”

She hadn’t seen Lexa when she’d walk over, but she’d been so busy looking at her phone that she wasn’t entirely surprised. Clarke wondered how long the other girl had been out there; she was lounging against the step behind her as if she didn’t have a care in the world, and she wondered if Lexa even had any idea what was going on. Lexa’s relaxed position was a complete contrast to the way Clarke was feeling. Then again, Lexa was never very typical.

Clarke didn’t know if she had ever seen Lexa smile or show any kind of emotion in the years she’d known her. And not only was her behavior not typical, but she certainly didn’t look like everyone else, either. She was currently wearing a leather jacket despite the fact that it was at least eighty degrees out, her hair was in its usual elaborate braids, and her eye makeup was always on the extreme side.

“So, why are you out here instead of running off like everyone else?” Lexa asked after a few moments.

“Do you even know what’s happening right now?” Clarke asked, motioning around.

“I’m not an idiot, Clarke,” Lexa replied, crossing one outstretched leg over the other.

“I thought I would come out here and see if I could see anything,” Clarke finally answered as she began walking up the bleachers.

“You’re not going to see anything up there,” Lexa replied.

Clarke ignored her and walked up to the top of the bleachers, but Lexa was right. She couldn’t really see much beyond the road in front of the school and the large office building next door.

“Dammit,” Clarke mumbled.

“Did you think you were going to see something I couldn’t?” Lexa asked.

“I was—” Clarke shook her head. “Never mind. We shouldn’t be out in the open like this. We need to get some place safe. We need to find shelter.”

She was talking to herself more than anything, but she looked down at Lexa, nevertheless. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d talked to the other girl—or if she ever had—even though they’d had classes together since middle school, when Clarke moved to Washington, D.C. Yet she couldn’t imagine just leaving her there all alone.

“Do you really think finding shelter is going to do any good?” Lexa asked.

“We can’t stay out here,” Clarke replied. “We have to do something.”

“Nuclear war is happening, Clarke,” Lexa said, looking over her shoulder, and raising her eyebrow. “Where do you think you’re going to go?”

“Well, we can’t just sit here,” Clarke replied, feeling her heart rate beginning to pick up.

“You’re right,” Lexa said as she stood from the bleachers.

“What are you doing?” Clarke asked, following Lexa with her eyes as she walked down the steps.

“I’m not going to fight the inevitable,” Lexa answered, turning around, and shrugging her shoulders.

“How can you be so calm right now?” Clarke asked, taking a few steps toward Lexa.

“Because I know when to fight and when not to fight,” Lexa replied.

Clarke made a few unintelligible noises as Lexa began to walk down the bleachers, and then threw her hands up. She turned and looked toward the road again, where several cars had rear-ended each other. People were running past the cars, not bothering to stop to see if there was still anyone in the damaged vehicles, and Clarke couldn’t help wondering how the world could turn to chaos so quickly.

“Are you coming?” Lexa asked.

Clarke looked over her shoulder and saw that Lexa was still standing at the bottom of the bleachers.

“Where are you going?” Clarke asked.

“To enjoy what may be my last day,” Lexa answered.

Clarke slowly shook her head. “You’re really not going to try to find some place safe?”

“Do you really think there’s a point?” Lexa asked. “Five bombs, Clarke, and it’s probably only a matter of time before one drops right on us. Where do you think you’re going to go?”

Clarke frowned slightly; she wasn’t the type to just give up, but part of her knew Lexa was right.

“So, are you coming?” Lexa asked again.

Clarke opened her mouth for a moment, but then closed it and slowly looked around. When she finally looked down again, part of her expected to find Lexa walking away, but she was still waiting for her.

“Where are we going?”

***

“What the hell?!” Clarke said as she looked at her car.

“I think we’re walking,” Lexa remarked.

The front of Clarke’s car was completely smashed in, the windshield was cracked, and the driver’s side tire was flat. Even if she wanted to try to drive it out of the parking lot, she doubted she would make it more than a few yards. If she could even get it to start.

“How far is your house?” Lexa asked.

“Not too far,” Clarke said, running her hand through her hair in frustration.

“We better start walking,” Lexa replied.

Lexa began walking toward the front gate, and Clarke quickly followed. As she fell in step beside Lexa, she glanced at the side of her face and opened her mouth to thank her again, but closed it before saying anything. She was surprised Lexa had agreed to go to Clarke’s house first, but she was thankful she’d said yes. Clarke wanted to see if her parents were there, and as independent as she liked to consider herself, the thought of going there alone was a little scary.

“Which way?” Lexa asked, stopping, and looking at Clarke.

“Left,” Clarke replied

“Even if we could have taken your car, I don’t think we would have made it very far,” Lexa remarked as they walked down the street.

“No, it doesn’t look like it,” Clarke agreed.

There was no car accident in the other direction, but none of the cars were moving. Several of them looked like they had been abandoned, and others were driving on the sidewalk to get around.

“I don’t get how this happened so fast,” Clarke said, glancing at one of the abandoned cars as they walked by.

“People are scared,” Lexa stated.

“I know, but it isn’t helping anything,” Clarke replied. “If people would just drive normally then everyone would be able to get home. Abandoning your car in the middle of the road doesn’t make any sense.”

“Maybe not, but people react differently in stressful situations,” Lexa said, glancing at Clarke. “Maybe they knew they would get somewhere faster if they walked, so they left their car.”

“Well, they could have at least moved it to the side so everyone else could get through,” Clarke replied.

“Look out,” Lexa said, grabbing Clarke’s arm, and pulling her to the side as a man ran by, nearly running right into her.

“Thanks,” Clarke said as Lexa released her arm and she took a step away from her.

Clarke knew Lexa was right when she said people were scared, but she still couldn’t understand how the world could descend into chaos so quickly. No one seemed to be paying attention to how their actions affected everyone else, which was only making a bad situation even worse.

As they continued walking down the road, she flinched when she heard the sound of metal crashing against metal, followed by the incessant honking of a car horn. She stopped in her tracks and turned around to find that a car had slammed into the driver’s side of another car.

“Should we see if we can help them?” Clarke asked, taking a step back the way they had come.

“Clarke, wait,” Lexa said, grabbing her arm again. “There’s nothing you can do.”

“You don’t know that,” Clarke replied.

“You can’t help everyone, Clarke,” Lexa quietly said.

Clarke furrowed her brows as she looked at the wrecked cars. People were passing by without giving them a glance, and she knew if she didn’t stop, no one would. But at the same time, Lexa was right. She couldn’t help everyone, and with the way things were going, if she was going to stop for everyone, she would never make it home.

“Come on,” Lexa said, loosening her grip, but still keeping her hand on Clarke’s forearm.

Clarke opened her mouth to protest, but closed it with a resigned sigh. Even if she did go over there, what could she do? The phones were out, so it wasn’t like she could call 911, and she may have seen her mom help in emergency situations, but it wasn’t as if she would know what to do if they really needed help.

“I hate this,” Clarke said.

“I know,” Lexa replied.

“Do you?” Clarke asked, turning her head to look at Lexa.

“Just because we’re not friends, it doesn’t mean I don’t know you,” Lexa replied.

“I’m that transparent, huh?” Clarke said.

“Only to those who pay attention,” Lexa replied.

Lexa gave her a slight smile and then began walking away, leaving Clarke staring after her for a few moments.

“Are your parents even going to be home?” Lexa asked when Clarke caught up to her.

“I don’t know,” Clarke admitted. “They went away for the weekend. They’re supposed to come back today, but I don’t know what time they were going to be home. If they didn’t come back this morning—”

Clarke trailed off. She didn’t want to say it, but if her parents hadn’t come home already, she didn’t know if they would be able to make it back. If the streets around her school were as bad as they were, she couldn’t imagine what it would be like to try to make it over a hundred miles.

“I guess you’ll know soon enough,” Lexa said.

“Yeah,” Clarke replied. “I guess so.”

Clarke and Lexa walked down the sidewalk, occasionally stepping to the side as people ran by. When they got to the intersection, dozens of cars were bumper to bumper, and none of them were moving an inch. The cars were blocking the intersection in both directions, as far as Clarke could see down the street, and so close together that she and Lexa had to squeeze between a van and a truck just to get to the other side of the street.

“This is ridiculous,” Clarke remarked, looking over her shoulder at the mess at the intersection. “People are going to get hurt.”

“I don’t th—”

“Was that gunfire?” Clarke asked, looking at Lexa in alarm.

“I think so,” Lexa answered.

“I think we need to hurry,” Clarke said, picking up her pace.

***

“Mom?” Clarke called out. “Dad?”

She threw her backpack next to the door and walked through the living room, into the kitchen, and then back through the hallway that went back toward the front door. She passed by Lexa, who was still standing by the front door, and ran up the steps and into her parents’ room. The room was empty, though, as was the downstairs, and she knew there was no point to look through the rest of the house. Her parents hadn’t made it home.

“I’m sorry, Clarke.”

Clarke took a deep, steadying breath before turning around to face Lexa. “I should have known they wouldn’t be here. I’m sorry I wasted your time.”

Even though she knew deep down that her parents probably wouldn’t be there, she still couldn’t help feeling disappointed. One of the last conversations she’d had with her mom was an argument about having a few friends over while her parents were going to be out of town. Clarke didn’t get why her mom couldn’t just trust her when she had been nothing but responsible her whole life, and she had said a few things that she’s immediately regretted but was still too angry to apologize for at the time. Now, it all seemed so stupid and she just wanted to tell her parents she loved them while she still had the chance.

“It’s not an entire waste of time,” Lexa replied. “We should eat while we’re here and listen to the radio if you have one.”

“I think there’s one on my old alarm clock,” Clark said, walking past Lexa, and down the hall to her room.

She walked over to her closet and reached up to a box on the top shelf. It was a box of things she was going to donate but never got around to it. She pulled out several tops that she’d grown out of years ago, and then decided to just dump the rest of the box on her bed. She pushed some books to the side and grabbed her old alarm clock, offering it to Lexa.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so pink,” Lexa said, a hint of a smile on her face.

“In my defense, I was nine,” Clarke stated. “Anyway, you were talking about eating.” Clarke looked down at her bed, playing with a thread on her comforter. “There isn’t a lot here because my mom was going to go shopping when she got home, but—”

“I’m sure we’ll find something,” Lexa interrupted.

Clarke looked up as Lexa turned on her heel and began walking out of the bedroom with the alarm clock in her hand. Clarke followed a few moments later, pulling her phone out of her pocket just to make sure she didn’t have service or a Wi-Fi connection. Both were still down, though, so she pocketed her phone with a sigh.

“I don’t understand why the internet is out,” Clarke remarked as she turned at the bottom of the stairs.

“Maybe one of the bombs hit something important,” Lexa replied, looking over her shoulder.

“At least we still have power,” Clarke said, hoping she didn’t jinx it.

“But for how long?” Lexa said, setting the clock on the counter, and plugging it in to one of the open sockets.”

“Do you really think we’ll be able to find out anything,” Clarke asked, leaning against the island.

“I don’t know, but there are quite a few local stations, and they shouldn’t have been affected,” Lexa replied. “But that doesn’t mean they’ll know anything we don’t already know.”

As Lexa began searching for a radio station, Clarke walked over to the refrigerator and began pulling out things for a sandwich, the only thing they really had to eat.

“More bombs ar—” Clarke quickly turned around at the sound of the voice coming out of her alarm clock, which was cutting in and out. “—expected. I repeat, seven nuclear bombs have—”

“Seven?” Clarke asked, looking at Lexa when the radio cut out again. “Does that mean two more have been dropped?”

“Communications are down and mass casualties have been repo—”

The radio went out again and they both stood there in silence, waiting for it to come back, but after a minute or two—though it seemed much longer—Lexa began searching for another station.

“This isn’t going to stop, is it?” Clarke asked.

“It doesn’t appear so,” Lexa replied.

Clarke turned away and looked out the window. It was hard to believe that this could be it. That this could be her last day, or even her last hour, on earth. And it was especially hard to believe when her backyard looked so normal, like it was just a regular day. Beyond the fence, though, she knew everything was just as chaotic as when she and Lexa were out there.

“Are you okay?”

Clarke turned her head to look at Lexa as she stood beside her. “No, I’m not.”

“It was bound to happen sooner or later,” Lexa said with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

“How can you be so unemotional about this?” Clarke asked, frowning.

“Because getting emotional about it isn’t going to help anything,” Lexa replied.

Clarke stared at her for a few moments before finally averting her eyes and asking, “Do you like turkey or ham?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Lexa answered. “We should hurry, though; we’re wasting time here.”

“Actually, I think I’m going to wait here,” Clarke replied as she grabbed the bread from the counter.

“I know you want to see your parents, but what if this is your last day?” Lexa asked. “Do you really want to spend it here alone?”

She didn’t want to spend it alone, but what if her parents did manage to make it back? It wasn’t like they could call her if they got home. She knew the chances of her parents making it home were slim to none, but it was still hard to give up that little shred of hope.

“You should come with me, Clarke,” Lexa added. “Unless you would rather find one of your friends.”

Clarke looked over at Lexa again, and then after a few seconds, slowly nodded. “I’ll come with you.”

***

“Lexa, where are we going?” Clarke asked.

She felt like she had been following Lexa for at least an hour, but it was hard to tell how long it had actually been. She thought people would eventually get to their homes, but the streets only seemed to get worse as time went on. Even more people had abandoned their cars when they were unable to get anywhere, making it impossible for others to go, and the sidewalks were full of people rushing in every direction, including a lot of panicked tourists, often not caring that other people were in their way.

“We’re almost there,” Lexa said rather than giving Clarke an actual answer.

Clarke sighed. She’d lost count of how many times her shoulder had been slammed into with so much as an apology, and she just wanted to get where they were going. Wherever that was. There were so many different things around that she couldn’t really guess where they were going to end up. The Capital was nearby, but so were the Air and Space Museum, the National Mall, and the Library of Congress.

“Okay, I get that the world may be ending, but do people keep having to run into me?” Clarke said, rubbing her shoulder after a man twice her size elbowed her. “Seriously, how much longer?”

“About three seconds,” Lexa said, stopping, and turning to Clarke as she motioned to the side. “I told you we were almost here.”

“Where is here?” Clarke asked, looking up, and seeing a large glass structure.

“It’s the botanic garden,” Lexa answered.

Without saying anything else, Lexa began walking toward the entrance and Clarke was left staring after her. Before following her, Clarke glanced up at the building again, wondering why she had taken her there out of all the places in the city, and then finally began walking after Lexa.

“At least no one is going to run into you here,” Lexa remarked when Clarke finally fell into step beside her.

“Yeah,” Clarke said, looking around at the mostly empty walkways. “Wait, don’t we have to pay?”

“It’s free,” Lexa replied. “And even if it wasn’t, I doubt there’s anyone here to stop us.”

“Right,” Clarke said.

She sighed to herself, feeling a little stupid for asking. Nuclear bombs were dropping around the world. Two teenagers not paying to go to a garden was the least of people’s problems.

“What?” Clarke asked when she saw a slight smile on Lexa’s face.

“You really don’t like the possibility of breaking rules, do you?” Lexa asked.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Clarke replied.

“Do you remember in eighth grade when they took us to the zoo?” Lexa asked, looking over at Clarke. “It was in May, right before the end of year, and we were having that heat wave. The guy selling ice cream tried to give you one, but you wouldn’t let him because you hadn’t paid for it. You haven’t changed, Clarke.”

“I can’t believe you remember that,” Clarke said, shaking her head.

“I remember a lot of things,” Lexa replied with a shrug.

“So, why here?” Clarke asked after a moment or two. “I mean, it’s beautiful, but of all the places, why did you bring us here?”

Lexa didn’t answer her at first, but after a few minutes she finally said, “My mom used to work here. I came here a lot as a child, especially during the summer. After she died, I would sometimes come here on the weekend. I guess I just felt closer to her when I came here.”

“I’m sorry,” Clarke replied. “I know how hard that must have been. I wanted to tell you how sorry I was when it happened, but it never felt like the right time.”

“I wish other people had felt that way,” Lexa said. “I know everyone’s intentions were good, but when people are coming up to you all day, it makes it kind of hard to forget, and that’s all I wanted to do.”

She couldn’t imagine losing either of her parents the way Lexa had. It was hard enough to lose anyone you love, but to lose your mom when you were only fifteen was one of the worst things she could think of. At least if it had been because of an illness, she could have said goodbye, but the fact that it had been in a car crash just made it that much worse.

“Can I ask you something?” Lexa asked.

“Of course,” Clarke replied.

“Why aren’t you with your boyfriend right now?” Lexa asked, pausing.

“Who? Finn?” Clarke asked. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Oh,” Lexa replied. “I thought I heard someone say you two were together.”

“You probably did, but he’s not my boyfriend,” Clarke said, shaking her head. “He has a girlfriend, and I would never try to come between them.”

“But you like him,” Lexa stated.

“I did, but that’s over now,” Clarke said. “We’re just friends. Even if he broke up with Raven, he still wouldn’t be my boyfriend.”

Lexa gave a slight nod and continued walking again, leaving Clarke following behind once more, asking, “Why did you want to know?”

“I was just curious,” Lexa replied. “We’re not exactly friends, so I was a little surprised when you agreed to come with me.”

“Truthfully, I didn’t give it a lot of thought,” Clarke said. “I didn’t want to be alone and—”

“And what?” Lexa asked when Clarke didn’t continue.

“And I didn’t really want you to be alone, either,” Clarke said.

“So, you thought you would spend the day with a stranger so neither of us would be alone?” Lexa asked.

“Even if we’ve never really talked, I don’t consider you a stranger,” Clarke replied. “I feel like I know you.”

“I actually know what you mean,” Lexa said, and for the first time that Clarke could remember, she had an actual smile on her face.

***

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen so few people here,” Clarke commented.

They were walking near the National Mall, which would have been packed around that time on any other day, but there were about half as many people as usual. A lot of people were finally deserting the streets, though there were still plenty of people around. And as they walked by, she’d overheard parts of conversations, and it seemed like many were in agreement that they needed to get somewhere safe. Somewhere definitely out of Washington, D.C., which most seemed to agree was only a matter of time before it got hit.

Part of Clarke wanted to go with them, but she also knew when to admit defeat. You could only walk so far in a day, and she doubted it would be far enough away to survive. Not only that, but even if they did manage to walk far enough to get away from the initial blast, the fallout from the nuclear bombs would eventually get them. And Clarke had studied the effects of radiation poisoning for a school assignment, so she knew how unpleasant it would be.

“They’re all running,” Lexa replied.

“I just don’t know where they think they’re going to run to,” Clarke said.

“That’s because you’re realistic,” Lexa replied.

“Sometimes I wish I wasn’t,” Clarke said.

“I know what you mean,” Lexa replied. “Maybe then I could be happier.”

Clarke wanted to ask Lexa why she wasn’t happy, but she thought better of it and quickly closed her mouth. They didn’t exactly know each other well enough for her to pry into the other girl’s life. If Lexa wanted to talk about it, she figure she would say something, but since she didn’t elaborate further, Clarke figured she didn’t want to discuss it.

“I don’t think I’ve been here since Mrs. Grimes brought us here,” Lexa remarked.

“Me either,” Clarke replied, smiling at the thought of the field trip. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a teacher regret anything as much as her bringing us here. Jasper swears she breaks out in hives every time she sees him.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Lexa said.

“I remember the first time I came here,” Clarke said, glancing sideways at Lexa. “It was right after we moved here. My dad insisted on us seeing everything as a family, so the first weekend we were here, he dragged us all over the city. Of course, there’s no way to see everything in one weekend, but he definitely tried.”

Lexa smiled. “He sounds like a good father.”

“Yeah, he is,” Clarke replied.

“I can’t remember the last time I did anything with mine,” Lexa said. “When he’s not working, he’s usually at the bar or over at a friend’s watching a game. When he is home, he doesn’t talk much.”

“Has he always been like that?” Clarke wondered.

Lexa lightly shook her head. “He was never around a lot, but it’s only gotten worse since my mom died.”

“I’m sorry,” Clarke replied. “I know that must be hard.”

Lexa shrugged and said, “I’ve learned to take care of myself.”

Clarke had wondered why Lexa hadn’t wanted to go find her father, but now she understood why. What she couldn’t understand was how Lexa’s father could essentially abandon her when she needed him the most.

“You shouldn’t have had to learn to take care of yourself like that,” Clarke replied.

“It’s not like I’m a child, Clarke,” Lexa stated.

“That doesn’t make it any more fair,” Clarke argued.

“Whoever said life is fair?” Lexa asked. “If it was, would we really be here right now?”

Clarke wasn’t entirely sure which part Lexa was referring to, but she didn’t ask. Instead, she began walking toward a nearby bench, looking over her shoulder to see if Lexa was following her.

“Are you tired?” Lexa asked as Clarke sat down.

“It’s been a long day,” Clarke said, running her hand through her hair, and looking up at Lexa, who was still standing.

“You’re right,” Lexa replied. “We should rest.”

Clarke’s eyes followed Lexa as she sat down next to her. She could see she wasn’t the only one who was beginning to sweat. The day had started off humid, though, and it had only gotten worse as the afternoon went on.

“I don’t see how you’re still wearing that,” Clarke said, reaching out, and gently plucking at the sleeve of Lexa’s leather jacket.

Lexa stayed silent for a few moments, and then said, “It was my mom’s. Last summer, I was going through her closet since my father never did, and it had been over a year. I was going to donate everything, but then I saw this jacket.”

“And you decided to keep it,” Clarke replied in understanding.

Lexa nodded. “I know it’s stupid, but—”

“It’s not stupid,” Clarke quickly assured, shaking her head. “If it was me, I would do exactly the same thing.”

“Even wearing it when it’s eighty degrees out?” Lexa asked.

Clarke smiled and nodded. “Even then.”

“You’re right, though,” Lexa said, leaning forward, and pulling her arms out of the sleeves. “It’s far too hot to be wearing it.”

Lexa pulled the jacket out from behind her and carefully folded it before setting it between them. As she sat back, Clarke couldn’t help noticing the necklace she was wearing—a moon and a star—and she reached out, lifting the necklace off Lexa’s chest.

“Did you get this at the planetarium?” Clarke asked.

“Yes,” Lexa answered.

Clarke met Lexa’s eyes for a moment, wondering if they were thinking about the exact same thing. Before she could say anything, though, Lexa had stood up and was saying, “We should get going.”

“Where do you want to go now?” Clarke asked, following suit, and standing as well.

***

“I wonder what’s going to happen to them,” Clarke said as she looked at the gorilla enclosure.

“The same thing that’s going to happen to all of us,” Lexa answered.

She knew it wasn’t possible to let all the zoo animals out, but she hated that they didn’t even have a chance. They were all locked up in their cages with no idea what was happening. As far as she could tell, all the zoo workers had fled, leaving the zoo almost completely deserted. They had only passed by a handful of people as they walked around, and judging by the looks those people had given them, they also didn’t think there was any point in running.

“I just feel bad for them,” Clarke said, taking a few steps forward.

“That’s because you have a big heart,” Lexa replied.

Clarke looked over her shoulder at Lexa, who was standing a several feet back. “I wouldn’t exactly say that.”

“I would,” Lexa argued. “You care about others more than you care about yourself. Like last year when you stopped that senior girl from fighting with that freshman, and you got hit instead.”

“I would call that stupidity,” Clarke said, shaking her head. “She broke my nose.”

“Yes, but you didn’t even think about it, did you?” Lexa asked. “You stepped between them without hesitating. Like I said, you care about others more than you care about yourself. You protect people, Clarke.”

“I can’t protect anyone today,” Clarke said, looking away.

“That hasn’t stopped you from trying,” Lexa replied.

Lexa turned and walked down the path, and with one last look at the gorillas, Clarke followed. She stayed a few steps behind, watching Lexa’s back, and noticing how sun-burnt her shoulders were becoming now that she only had her gray tank top on. For a moment, she thought about how she should have packed some sunscreen, but then she remembered that it didn’t exactly matter.

“Do you want to put that in my backpack?” Clarke offered when she noticed Lexa shift her leather jacket between her hands. “I promise I won’t lose it.”

Before Lexa answered, Clarke was already pulling the straps off her shoulders and bringing the bag around. Lexa paused, looking down at the jacket and then at the bag before giving a slight nod.

“If you ever get tired of carrying that, let me know,” Lexa offered.

“It’s not that heavy,” Clarke said as she shouldered the bag again.

Lexa nodded and started to turn around but stopped and looked at Clarke. “You know, Clarke, if you want to go anywhere, you can let me know. We don’t have to stay here if you’re finding it too depressing.”

“It’s actually kind of fun here,” Clarke said with a shrug of her shoulders. “As fun as today can get anyway. When I’m looking at the animals, I can kind of forget reality for a moment.” She noticed Lexa looked a little skeptical. “Really, I’m fine here.”

“Okay.” Lexa nodded.

As they began walking again, Clarke glanced over at Lexa. She had been relatively quiet since they got to the zoo, and Clarke wondered if their situation was finally beginning to hit her. Lexa had been so calm about everything since she met her on those bleachers, and she was wondering if things were starting to sink in. She wanted to ask Lexa if she was okay, but that seemed like a stupid question given everything that was happening.

She wanted to get Lexa talking again, though, feeling the need to get to know her more. So, rather than asking if she was okay when Clarke knew she couldn’t possibly be, she found herself asking, “What’s your biggest regret?”

Lexa didn’t immediately answer, so Clarke looked over at her questioningly, wondering for a moment if she’d even heard her. Lexa opened her mouth and then a slight smile appeared on her face.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Clarke added, looking away when Lexa still didn’t answer.

“You should know my biggest regret,” Lexa said after a few more moments of silence.

Clarke stopped walking and turned toward Lexa, her eyebrows furrowed. She had no idea why Lexa would think she should know. They may go to school together, but that day was by far the most amount of time they had ever spent together. They hadn’t even talked before that day.

“Although, clearly not,” Lexa continued when she saw the look on Clarke’s face.

“No.” Clarke shook her head as she looked up at Lexa. “I’m sorry.”

Lexa took a step closer to Clarke, putting her hand on her hip, and leaving only a few inches between them. Clarke’s breath caught in her throat as she saw the look in Lexa’s eyes, and she suddenly realized what the other girl’s biggest regret was.

Lexa leaned down, brushing her lips against Clarke’s, surprising her with her sudden boldness. It took Clarke a second to react, but when she felt Lexa pulling away, she brought her hand to her cheek and leaned in, capturing her lips again.

As Lexa’s hand moved from Clarke’s hip to her waist, Clarke’s arms wrapped around the back of Lexa’s neck, pulling their bodies closer together, and for a moment, Clarke forget all the terrible things that were happening. As Lexa’s tongue lightly brushed her bottom lip, though, there was a loud bang that caused both of them to jump and pull apart.

“I don’t think that was close by,” Clarke said, looking around.

Clarke opened her mouth and looked up at Lexa again, wanting to say something else, but realized she didn’t know what say.

“Well, now I have no regrets,” Lexa stated after a long moment of silence passed between them.

Clarke couldn’t help but smile. “You know, I had almost convinced myself that I’d imagined what happened at the planetarium.”

“You thought you’d imagine the fact that I almost kissed you?” Lexa asked.

“I thought maybe I was reading too much into it,” Clarke replied. “It was dark and I thought I was just—” Clarke shook her head. “When you didn’t say anything, I thought maybe I’d misread what happened.”

“I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know how you felt, and I felt foolish for almost kissing you,” Lexa said. “But I like you, Clarke. I’ve always liked you.”

“I wish you’d told me a little sooner,” Clarke replied.

“So do I,” Lexa quietly said.

Clarke took a deep breath and slowly released it, looking away. “We should—”

“Get going,” Lexa finished for her. “I know.”

***

“I don’t think that’s open.”

Lexa looked over her shoulder with a slight smile and then walked toward the door of the pizza parlor. She didn’t see how Lexa thought she was going to get in; the restaurant was dark inside and obviously closed.

“Unless you’re going to break in, I don’t think we’re going to be able to eat here,” Clarke added. “You’re not going to break in, are you?”

“I’m not going to bust the window, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Lexa replied.

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Clarke said, following Lexa when she began walking toward the alley between the restaurant and the bookstore next door.

“I worked here last summer,” Lexa said as she walked toward the back door. “The owner keeps a key behind a brick.”

“That’s still breaking in,” Clarke replied.

“Do you think he’s really going to care?” Lexa asked, pulling the loose brick out from the wall. “He’ll be lucky if it isn’t burned down by morning.”

She knew Lexa was right, but it still felt wrong to break into the restaurant. They were both hungry, though, and there were no stores or restaurants open. Most people were either trying to get out of town or boarding up their houses as if it would somehow save them. The last thing they were doing was remaining at work when bombs could drop on them at any moment.

“If you don’t want me to, I won’t open the door,” Lexa said, holding up the key.

Clarke opened her mouth, pausing for a moment before shrugging and saying, “What the hell.”

Lexa unlocked the door and walked in, holding it open for Clarke, who walked in, and then closing it behind her. The room was dark and Clarke looked around for a light switch, but as she was looking for one, the lights turned on above her, and she looked over to find Lexa standing beside the wall, her hand still on the switch.

“What do you like on your pizza?” Lexa asked, walking toward Clarke.

“Whatever is fine,” Clarke replied.

Lexa raised her eyebrow. “Clarke, we can make anything you want, so what do you want on your pizza?”

“I like ham and pineapple,” Clarke said. “And extra sauce and cheese.”

“Coming right up,” Lexa replied, walking over to the refrigerator.

As Lexa began pulling out ingredients, Clarke glanced around the kitchen. It was small but clean, and Lexa seemed to know her way around quite well.

“Do you need any help?” Clarke asked.

Lexa shook her head. “I’ve got it.”

Clarke looked around the room for a place to sit down, but there was no chair around. There was, however, a table, so Clarke walked over to it, pushing some pizza boxes to the side, and hopping up on it. The table shook, causing several boxes to slide off, falling to the floor, and Lexa glanced over at the noise.

“So, you said you worked here last summer,” Clarke said, her eyes following Lexa as she walked over to the fridge again.

Lexa nodded. “I thought I would save for college.”

“Where did you want to go?” Clarke wondered.

“Some place far away from here,” Lexa answered, looking over her shoulder at her.

“You wanted to leave D.C.?” Clarke asked.

“There’s nothing for me here,” Lexa said.

“I don’t believe that,” Clarke replied.

“That doesn’t make it any less true,” Lexa said.

“You have friends,” Clarke stated.

“Friends aren’t necessarily a reason to stay some place,” Lexa replied. “Besides, it doesn’t really matter now, does it? None of us are going to college or even graduating from high school.”

Clarke looked down. “You’re right; it doesn’t matter anymore. Nothing does.”

“I didn’t say that,” Lexa said, walking over, and offering Clarke a bag of cheese.

“Then what do you think matters?” Clarke wondered.

“Living life while we can,” Lexa answered, and Clarke took the bag from Lexa and set it down next to her. “Even if that’s only another hour.”

As Lexa began to turn away, Clarke reached out and grabbed her hand. Before she could even think about what she was doing, she pulled Lexa toward her, bringing their lips together. A few moments later, she pulled back, slowly opening her eyes. Lexa’s fluttered open a few seconds later, and she looked up at her with a slight frown on her face.

“I’m sorry,” Clarke said, suddenly feeling as if she’d done something wrong.

“Don’t be sorry, Clarke,” Lexa replied, looking away. “I just don’t want you to do something you wouldn’t normally do if the situation was different.”

“That’s not—” Clarke shook her head. “That’s not what I was doing. I mean, we obviously wouldn’t be if this wasn’t happening, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t wanted to do that.” Lexa looked up at her. “When we were at the planetarium, I wanted you to kiss me.”

“Why didn’t you ever say anything to me, then?” Lexa asked. “We’ve known each other for so long, and today was the first time you’ve ever spoken to me.”

“Why didn’t you?” Clarke asked back.

“I guess you have a point,” Lexa replied.

“You know—I’ve always wanted to talk to you,” Clarke confessed. “I just didn’t know how. And the more time that passed, the less I knew how to start a conversation with you. What do you say to someone you’ve known for nearly five years, but have never really talked to? Especially someone you like.”

Lexa ducked her head, but Clarke could still see the smile on her face.

“So, are you sure you don’t need any help making that pizza?” Clarke asked, grabbing the bag of cheese, and setting it in her lap with a smile.

“I think I’ve got it,” Lexa said, looking up at her, the smile still on her face.

***

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Lexa asked.

“You’ll see,” Clarke replied, smiling to herself.

“I guess I deserve that,” Lexa remarked.

Clarke stepped to the side when a man hurried by, but continued walking. It seemed as if people couldn’t make up their minds if they wanted to get out of town, huddle in their houses, or roam the streets. They had been relatively empty over the last few hours, but it seemed like more people were now taking to the streets. And not everyone was trying to get out of town. Some were leisurely walking around with no obvious goal in mind. Given the latest news, though, she didn’t blame them.

They had walked by a man on a stoop with a few dozen people gathered to learn that a half dozen mores bombs, including two on the western coast of the United States, had dropped around the world. With no idea who was doing it, there was no way to stop them, and even if they could, the world would never be as they knew it. Not with that much radiation thrown into the atmosphere. They hadn’t stuck around long after the announcement, but Clarke could tell the news of more bombs dropping had crushed what little bit of hope some people still had. She had seen it in people’s eyes as she’d looked around the group.

“I really wish people would stop doing that,” Clarke said, jumping slightly at the sound of gunfire. “I just hope they’re firing into the air and not as someone.”

“Something’s on fire,” Lexa commented.

“What?” Clark asked, turning around to find that Lexa had stopped and was looking off in the distance.

“There’s smoke over there,” Lexa said.

“I wonder if they’ll try to put it out,” Clarke replied.

“I wonder if there’s anyone to try to put it out,” Lexa said. “No one else is as work; I wonder if the firefighters stayed.”

“And even if they did, most of the roads are blocked,” Clarke replied. “They’ll never be able to get through.” Clarke sighed and looked at Lexa. “We should go. We’re almost there.”

She hated that the world was going to hell, but she’d accepted the fact that there was nothing she could do about it. She wasn’t even going to be able to save herself, much less anyone else. And as someone who often found herself trying to take care of everyone, it wasn’t easy for her. She was going to do her best to enjoy the last bit of her life, though.

“Clarke—”

“Come on,” Clarke said, smiling, and offering her hand to Lexa.

“I should have known,” Lexa replied.

“It only seemed appropriate,” Clarke said.

Lexa looked down at Clarke’s hand for a moment, pressing her lips together. When she looked back up, Clarke gave her another smile, and Lexa slowly took her hand.

“Hopefully no one locked the doors,” Clarke said, entwining their fingers together.

“What will you do if they did?” Lexa asked.

“I’m sure I’ll be able to find a way in,” Clarke replied, leading them toward the planetarium. “Hopefully one that doesn’t involve breaking glass.”

The first few doors they tried were locked, but the third opened the moment she pulled on it. Smiling, she stepped to the side, letting Lexa in first, and following behind her, their hands still clasped together. Thankfully, Clarke knew her way around, so she didn’t have to stop at any of the maps to find where they were going. Even so, the museum was large, and the planetarium was just one part of it, so it took them a while to finally reach it.

“Oh, please don’t be locked,” Clarke said when she saw that the doors used to enter the planetarium were closed.

“I guess the universe decided we’ve had enough bad luck today,” Lexa remarked when Clarke tugged on the door and it swung open.

“Today and for several lifetimes,” Clarke replied. “Although, if it hadn’t opened, I could have picked the lock, but that would have taken time we don’t have.”

“You know how to pick a lock?” Lexa asked, her eyebrows rising in surprise.

“I have many skills,” Clarke said, smirking.

Lexa hummed, looking amused, and released Clarke’s hand as she walked past her, down the aisle. “Do you have any idea how to make this work?”

“No, but I can figure it out,” Clarke said.

As Lexa took a seat in one of the chairs—the same one she had been sitting in the last time they were there together—Clarke set about getting everything to work. She had no idea what she was doing, but she had watched the guy do it last time and figured it couldn’t be too difficult.

“Do you want me to turn off the lights?” Lexa asked.

“I think the control is here somewhere,” Clarke said, glancing around. “Just—wait—one—moment.” She smiled triumphantly when the stars appeared above them. “I told you I could figure it out.”

“I never said you couldn’t,” Lexa replied, and Clarke was happy she didn’t point out just how long it did take her.

“So, how long do you think the power will continue to stay on?” Clarke asked as she walked toward Lexa.

Lexa shrugged and turned her head to look at Clarke. “I’m actually surprised it’s lasted as long as it has. Maybe they managed to keep their workers there.”

“At least it’s not winter,” Clarke said, sitting down next to Lexa, lying her head back on the seat.

“I don’t know,” Lexa replied. “I could think of a few ways to keep warm.”

Clarke looked over at the brunette, hoping she wouldn’t be able to see her blush in the dark room. Rather than saying anything, though, she leaned forward, bringing their lips together in a soft, lingering kiss.

“Only a few?” Clarke asked as she slowly opened her eyes.

Lexa smiled and gave Clarke a quick kiss. “Okay, maybe more than a few.”

***

“You seem to know a lot about the constellations,” Lexa said, looking over at Clarke.

“When we lived in Virginia, my dad and I would go out into our backyard some nights and he would show me the stars,” Clarke said, glancing to the side at Lexa. “When he was little, he wanted to be an astronaut, so he knows all about astronomy.” She smiled as she thought about her father. “I don’t know how many times I made him tell me the same stories over and over.”

“So, what’s that constellation?” Lexa asked

“That’s Cassiopeia,” Clarke answered. “She was the wife of Cepheus, who is right there,” Clarke pointed to the constellation slightly to the side, “and the mother of Andromeda.” She lowered her hand, tracing the other constellation with her finger. “She’s sitting on her throne and she spends half the time upside down as punishment for her vanity. There’s more to it, but it’s been a long time since I heard the stories. When we moved here—well, it’s not always easy to see the stars clearly.”

“I wish I had paid more attention in Mr. Harris’s class,” Lexa said as she looked up at the sky above them. “But I found myself distracted quite often.”

“So, it’s my fault?” Clarke asked, a smile tugging at her lips.

“Actually, it’s my fault for sitting so close to you,” Lexa replied. “I should have known better.”

“I didn’t know I was that distracting,” Clarke remarked.

“That’s because you underestimate yourself,” Lexa replied. “If he hadn’t given us those bonus points for coming here, to the planetarium, I would have had a lower grade. Luckily, I didn’t need to concentrate while I was here.”

“I guess it’s a good thing he didn’t quiz us afterward,” Clarke said. “Especially since I wasn’t exactly paying attention that evening, either.”

She had been far too aware of the fact that she had been sitting between Finn and Lexa. One of them would have been distracting enough, but she had found it impossible to concentrate sandwiched between them.

To make matters worse, she’d only found out a few weeks prior that Finn had a girlfriend that she knew nothing about. Even though nothing had happened between them, she was still hurt and had been angry at him at the time. So sitting between two people she liked but couldn’t have, or so she thought at the time, hadn’t exactly made for an easy night. And to make it even more complicated, then Lexa had nearly kissed her.

It had happened when the theater was dark. She had glanced at Lexa and found the other girl staring back at her. Neither of them immediately looked away. She hadn’t been sure, but she thought she’d seen Lexa’s eyes dart to her lips, and then a few seconds later, she leaned toward her the barest amount. Before Clarke was even sure what was happening, Finn had said something to her, causing her to jump, having momentarily forgotten where they were.

At the time she convinced herself that her mind was playing tricks on her. That Lexa hadn’t really leaned in and that the brushing of their hands was an accident. Lexa had never shown any interest in her, not even ever speaking to her, so the thought that she could like her and had actually thought about kissing her seemed ludicrous.

“Do you—” Lexa paused, pressing her lips together, and averted her eyes, looking up at the ceiling again. “What would you have done if we hadn’t been interrupted that night?”

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Clarke replied. “Finn had just—” She sighed. “I would have kissed you back, but I think I would have needed a little more time to get over being hurt by him. I know I wasn’t exactly in a relationship with him, but it felt like I was, and I wouldn’t have wanted to jump into something else so soon.”

Lexa nodded but still didn’t look over at her.

“But after that, I definitely would have asked you out,” Clarke added.

Lexa slowly looked at her again, her eyes drifting down to Clarke’s lips. A few moments later, Lexa turned in her seat and wrapped her hand around the back of Clarke’s neck, pulling her forward. Clarke let out a low moan when their lips collided and Lexa pulled her into a heated kiss, her tongue gliding against Clarke’s bottom lip.

Clarke’s mouth opened, and Lexa’s tongue slid between her parted lips. As their tongues slid together, Clarke buried her hand in Lexa’s hair, trying to pull her closer, but being stopped by the armrest between them.

“Dammit,” Clarke mumbled, pulling away just long enough to shove the armrest up.

She brought their lips together again, this time no longer impeded by anything between them, and Lexa shifted until she was straddling Clarke. Clarke, whose hand had remained on the armrest, moved her hand, gripping Lexa’s waist while her right hand slowly ran up her side. Just as her thumb brushed the bottom of Lexa’ bra, though, a light began flashing and a loud beeping sounded loudly throughout the room.

“What is that?” Clarke asked when Lexa pulled back and looked around.

“I think it may be the first alarm,” Lexa answered.

“Or maybe someone broke into one of the displays,” Clarke suggested. “Either way, we should probably get out of here.”

Lexa looked down at her, pausing for a moment before saying, “You’re right.”

“I know,” Clarke said with a heavy sigh of frustration. “Although, I really wish I wasn’t.”

Lexa smiled softly at her. “I know the feeling.”

***

“I don’t see any smoke,” Clarke said, looking over her shoulder once they were a block away from the museum and planetarium.

“Someone probably stole something,” Lexa replied. “I’m sure it won’t be the last time tonight.”

“No, probably not,” Clarke agreed.

She had already seen one man run by with an armful of electronics, and she knew it was only going to get worse. She didn’t understand why anyone would bother stealing a television when they wouldn’t be around in a day or two—maybe even an hour or two—to use it, but yet she wasn’t surprised by it.

“Do you know where you want to go now?” Lexa asked.

Clarke shrugged and said, “I’ll go wherever you want to go.”

“Clarke!”

Clarke froze and whispered, “Mom?”

She looked around, wondering if she had imagined her mom’s voice, but then she saw them. Her parents were both running toward her, her mom slightly behind her dad.

“Mom!” Clarke yelled. “Dad!”

She ran toward them, jumping into her dad’s arms, who pulled her into a hug, lifting her feet off the ground as he squeezed her tightly. A few seconds later, she felt her mom’s arms wrap about them both, and they stayed that way for several long moments.

“We didn’t think we were going to find you,” Abby said, sounding like she was crying.

Her father sniffed as he slowly set her feet on the ground. “We can’t believe we found you.”

“I didn’t think you would be able to make it back,” Clarke said, shaking her head.

“We left early,” Abby said, putting her hands on either side of Clarke’s face. “We were about thirty miles away when they made the announcement over the radio. It wasn’t easy, but we made it home. We were worried sick about you; we heard there had been a lot of bad things happening in DC. We didn’t know if you would even be able to make it home from school. We were so relieved when we saw your note at home.”

“I didn’t know what else to do,” Clarke said with a shrug, her eyes wet with unshed tears. “We—

Clarke stopped, suddenly remembering Lexa. When she looked over her shoulder, the other girl was standing exactly where Clarke had left her with an unreadable expression on her face.

“I’m assuming this is the Lexa from your note,” Jake said, putting his hand on Clarke’s shoulder.

“Yeah,” Clarke said, looking up at her dad.

“We should get home while we can,” Abby said, moving her hands from Clarke’s face.

Clarke opened her mouth and looked back at Lexa again. As happy as she was to see her parents, she couldn’t just leave Lexa. Not now. Not after everything that had happened. Her parents clearly noticed her hesitation, because when she looked back at them, her dad had a smile on his face and her mom had a look of understanding.

“I don’t know what to do,” Clarke admitted.

“It’s okay, Clarke,” Abby said, taking her hand, and squeezing it. “You should go with your,” Abby paused, “friend.”

Clarke shook her head. “But—”

“It’s okay,” Jake interrupted, moving his other arm around his wife. “We understand.”

“Have fun, Clarke,” Abby said. “Enjoy your last night. You should live your life while you can.”

“Don’t worry about us,” Jake added. “Your mom and I have each other.”

“It’s more than enough to just know you’re safe,” Abby said, giving Clarke a sad smile.

“I love you both so much,” Clarke said, wrapping one arm around each of her parents.

“We love you, too,” Jake replied, squeezing her side.

“We love you more than you’ll ever know,” Abby said, kissing Clarke’s temple.

When Clarke pulled away, her mom wiped her tears that had begun falling down her cheeks. Clarke opened her mouth, wanting to say something else, but she closed it, not knowing what to say. After a few moments of silence, her father pulled her into a long hug, kissing the top of her head. When he released her, her mom did the same thing, holding her tightly.

“We love you,” Abby said one last time.

Clarke let out a shaky breath as her dad wrapped his arm around her mom, and the two turned and began walking away.

“May we meet again,” Clarke whispered to herself, watching her parents get further away with every step she took.

“Where are they going?” Lexa asked, walking up to Clarke as her parents began to get lost in the crowd.

“They’re going home,” Clarke said, wiping the remaining tears from her cheeks.

“Why aren’t you going with them?” Lexa asked.

“Because I promised I would spend the day with you,” Clarke replied, looking over at Lexa.

“Clarke,” Lexa shook her head, “if you have the chance to spend this time with your parents, I understand.”

“I want to spend it with you,” Clarke admitted. “As much as I love my parents, I’ve had my whole life with them. I’m not ready to give up getting to know you.”

She was relived her parents understood without her having to say anything. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt them, but she also couldn’t imagine leaving Lexa now. Thankfully, her parents had made it easy on her. They understood without her having to say a word. Without her having to try to explain why staying with Lexa was so important to her. Just like Clarke understood that her parents also wanted to be together right now, and while they loved her, they would also like to be alone with each other.

“You’re sure about this?” Lexa asked.

“I’m sure,” Clarke replied.

“Then let’s not waste any more time,” Lexa replied, hooking her finger around Clarke’s, and smiling at her.

***

“Where are you going?” Clarke asked when Lexa turned toward the left. “I thought we were going this way.”

“We are,” Lexa replied. “But I want to see if the bookstore is open.”

Clarke frowned and then quickly caught up to Lexa. “Why the bookstore?”

“I was going to stop by the one near my house after school, but that obviously didn’t happen,” Lexa said, looking over at her. “The last book in my favorite series came out today and I at least want to know how it ends. It’s stupid.”

Clarke shook her head. “It’s not stupid. I would do the same thing.”

“I just hope they’ve left the doors open,” Lexa said.

“You could always break in,” Clarke joked.

“The thought crossed my mind,” Lexa replied. “Although, it doesn’t look as if I’m going to need to.”

Clarke followed Lexa’s gaze to find that someone had already beaten her to it. Several of the front windows was shattered and glass was littered along the sidewalk. It wasn’t the first business they’d walk by that had been broken into. Now that the sun was down, they’d heard more than one window being smashed somewhere.

“Be careful,” Clarke said when Lexa began walking toward the window. “There’s glass everywhere.”

“You should wait here,” Lexa said. “I’ll only be a minute.”

Clarke took a few steps forward as Lexa disappeared into the bookstore. The store was dark except for a few lights that were probably on all the time, and she quickly lost sight of Lexa as she walked between two bookcases.

“Did you find it yet?” Clarke called out after a minute.

Lexa didn’t answer and Clarke looked over her shoulder as several people passed by. She wanted to tell them that the window was already broken before they got there, but she realized they probably didn’t care. No one really seemed to care what anyone else was doing, but she guessed that’s what happens when there was little likelihood of a tomorrow.

“Lexa?” Clarke tried again.

When Lexa didn’t answer for the second time, Clarke stepped forward, carefully putting her hands down on the bricks beneath the window, and leaning into the store. When she didn’t see Lexa and couldn’t hear her footsteps, she gently climbed over the broken glass and into the store.

“Lexa?” Clarke called out, shaking a few shards of glass from her pant leg.

The room was silent and a feeling of dread begin to wash over Clarke. Lexa didn’t seem like the type to play some kind of joke on her, and she knew she should have been able to hear her. The bookstore was big, but it wasn’t that big, and she had yelled as loudly as she could.

She quickly looked around and found a large shard of glass. She took it between her fingers, making sure not to cut herself, and then walked over to the cash registers, where she found a display of canvas bags. She hurriedly wrapped one of the bags around the bottom of the glass to protect her hand, and then quietly began walking the way Lexa had gone.

Clarke stayed low as she walked between the aisles, peering around the corner of the bookshelf before continuing in a straight line. She listened carefully for any sign that someone else was around, but the only thing she could hear was the sound of her footsteps. As she passed by the cooking section, though, she stopped in her tracks, sure she’d heard what sounded like falling books. Then she heard it again, but this time it was much louder as if an entire shelf had been knocked over.

She gave up trying to be stealthy and quickly ran toward the source of the noise. As she neared, she heard Lexa’s muffled scream, and she knew she was going the right way. When she ran around the corner, she found Lexa struggling to free herself, throwing herself and the man who had his arms wrapped around her into the nearest bookshelf. As the books rained down on them, one particularly large one hit the man’s shoulder and he finally let Lexa go, throwing her to the ground.

“You bitch!” he yelled.

Before Clarke could even think about what she was doing, she ran up and kicked the man in the face as he was doubled over, holding his shoulder.

“Clarke!” Lexa shouted, and Clarke could hear the fear in her voice.

Before Clarke could say anything, the man had rushed at her, knocking her onto her back. She felt winded and dazed, and as she looked up at the man whose nose was bleeding, she saw that he had a knife in his hand. Grabbing her with his free hand, he pulled her to her feet. Behind her, she could hear Lexa begin to run toward them, but before she could reach them, Clarke remembered the shard of glass in her hand and stabbed it into the man’s arm.

He let out a yell of pain, releasing Clarke, and dropping the knife to the floor, which she kicked toward Lexa.

“Are you okay?” Clarke asked Lexa, though she never took her eyes off the man.

Lexa slowly nodded, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. “I just want to get out of here.”

Clarke walked toward Lexa, keeping her eyes on the man, who was on the floor bleeding. She reached down and picked up the knife in the hand that wasn’t holding the shard of glass, and then took a step back toward the man.

“Clarke,” Lexa whispered, putting her hand on Clarke’s arm.

She glanced at Lexa and then fixed her gaze back on the man, who was beginning to stand up, gripping her hand tighter around the handle of the knife.

“Please, Clarke,” Lexa said.

Clarke looked at Lexa and saw the pleading look on her face. She opened her mouth, but then closed it with a nod.

“Let’s go,” Clarke softly said.

***

As they walked down the street, Clarke could see out of the corner of her eye that Lexa was repeatedly glancing at her. They both remained silent, though, which Clarke was thankful for. She didn’t know what to say, and she didn’t want to know what Lexa was thinking at the moment. She was far too aware of the blade of the knife tucked into her waistband, pressing against her back with every step she took, and she couldn’t help wondering what she would have done with it if Lexa hadn’t stopped her.

When a gunshot rang out from behind them, Clarke instinctively reached for Lexa hand, pulling her closer. They hadn’t made it more than four steps when a window was smashed in the alleyway as they walked by, and Clarke began to wonder more than ever if they should get inside.

“Are you okay?” Clarke asked in a low voice.

“I don’t know,” Lexa answered.

They arrived at an intersection and made their way between the cars, pushing doors closed as they went. As they walked around a large, black truck, Clarke looked down the road and saw smoke billowing from a building a few blocks down. When she looked back at Lexa, she was looking at the exact same spot Clarke had been with a frown on her face and a look of worry in her eyes.

“I know you wanted to go to art museum, but I think we should probably get somewhere safe,” Clarke suggested. “It’s starting to get a little crazy out here.”

Before Lexa could answer, there was the sound of more glass breaking, and Clarke took a deep breath. Her heart had been pounding ever since Lexa disappeared into the bookstore and she was afraid she was on the verge of having a panic attack. It was all just getting too overwhelming—the sirens, the gunfire, the breaking glass. Her sense of self-preservation was kicking in and telling her to find somewhere safe for her and Lexa, and the streets were definitely no longer that place.

“You’re right,” Lexa replied. “It isn’t safe anymore.”

Her eyes darted down and she watched as Lexa absentmindedly rubbed her arm. Clarke took another deep breath as she felt her anger come back. She wasn’t usually a violent person, but part of her wished Lexa hadn’t stopped her from causing more pain to that guy like she thought he deserved.

“Do you want to go home?” Lexa asked.

Clarke shook her head. “Even if I wanted to go there, it’s too far away.”

“Then, where would you like to go?” Lexa asked.

Clarke paused for a moment as she looked around in thought, and then turned to Lexa. “I know exactly the place.”

Clarke weaved her way between the rest of the cars, and then rather than continuing straight, she turned left. Thankfully it was the opposite direction of the burning building.

“There’s a hotel this way,” Clarke explained. “When we moved here, the company my dad works for put us up there for a few nights before we got settled into our house. It’s on the same road as the police station, so hopefully that means it’ll be a little safer. Plus, they’ll have food and everything else we need.”

“How far away is it?” Lexa asked

“Maybe a half a mile,” Clarke said.

Lexa nodded. “It sounds like the perfect place. As long as people don’t try to burn it down.”

“Hopefully they won’t be that stupid,” Clarke replied. “It’s a hotel, after all; there are going to be people in it.”

“I don’t think that will stop some people,” Lexa remarked.

Clarke sighed. “No, probably not, but I like to think the best in people.”

“I know you do,” Lexa replied. “That’s one of the reasons I like you. I tend to think the worst in everyone, and I like that you’re so optimistic.”

Clarke looked at Lexa, but looked away after a few seconds. She wouldn’t exactly call herself optimistic right now. Quite the opposite. She felt like she had given up, and she definitely wasn’t believing the best in people anymore. Not after everything she’d witnessed that day. Not after what she nearly did.

“Are you okay, Clarke?” Lexa softly asked.

“I’m fine,” Clarke answered.

“You’re not,” Lexa stated.

Clarke took a deep breath and slowly released it. “No, I’m not.”

“You can talk to me,” Lexa said.

“What’s there to talk about?” Clarke asked. “I wanted to kill that man for hurting you, and I probably would have done it if you hadn’t stopped me.”

“I don’t believe that,” Lexa replied.

“I wanted to hurt him,” Clarke said, shaking her head. “I wanted to make him pay for what he did to you. What he was going to do to you.”

“But I don’t think you would have,” Lexa replied. “Maybe you would have hurt him some more, but I don’t think it would have gone any further than that. You wouldn’t have killed him, Clarke.”

“I’m not so convinced,” Clarke said, glancing at her.

“I am,” Lexa replied. “And I never thanked you. You saved my life tonight.”

“You don’t know that,” Clarke said. “You weren’t doing so bad.”

“I do know it,” Lexa replied. “He told me he was going to kill me after he—” Lexa looked down. “I owe you my life.”

“You don’t owe me anything,” Clarke said. “Although, you are making me wish I had stabbed that guy another time. Maybe two. Does that make me a terrible person?”

“You could never be a terrible person.” Lexa replied, reaching out, and entwining her fingers with Clarke’s.

Clarke looked away, not wanting Lexa to see the tears that she felt come to her eyes, and nodded to a large building. “That’s where we’re going.”

“Then let’s go,” Lexa said, rubbing her thumb across the back of Clarke’s hand.

***

“There,” Clarke said, noticing a door that was slightly ajar.

No one had tried to stop them from entering the hotel, but finding an empty room was proving a little more difficult. Since the rooms all locked automatically, even if they were empty, they couldn’t get in. They had only found one other door open, but they had quickly learned that it was occupied, forcing them to move on.

“Hello?” Clarke said, knocking on the door.

“Be careful,” Lexa said when Clarke looked over her shoulder at her.

“Hello?” Clarke called out again as she opened the door, which had been kept ajar by the latch. “Is anyone in here?”

Clarke pushed the door the rest of the way and turned on the light, glancing inside the slightly disheveled room. Someone had obviously been staying there—the bed wasn’t made and there was a towel lying on the floor—but it looked like they must have left. She walked from room to room, checking in the closet, but it was clear that whoever had been there wasn’t coming back. There was no luggage and no toiletries; the only thing they seemed to have left behind was a candy bar and a pair of sunglasses.

“It looks like your plan worked,” Lexa remarked.

Clarke nodded and said, “We should be safe here.”

She walked over to the door and closed it, locking the deadbolt and the latch. She didn’t know if anyone would try to get in, but she certainly wasn’t going to take any chances.

“I wonder if they’re still delivering room service,” Lexa said, giving Clarke a wry smile.

“If you’re hungry, I could go down to the kitchen,” Clarke offered.

“I’m fine,” Lexa replied. “But thank you.”

Lexa turned away and slowly walked toward the window, pulling the curtains back. Clarke could see flashes of light from where she was standing, but her focus was on something else.

“You’re bleeding,” Clarke stated, her eyes on Lexa’s back.

“It’s nothing,” Lexa replied.

“It’s not nothing,” Clarke said, walking up to Lexa.

“It’s just a scratch,” Lexa argued.

Clarke scoffed. “That is far from a scratch. Stay here; I’m going to go find a first aid kit. Lock the door behind me and don’t open it for anyone else.”

She knew there wasn’t one in the room, so she made her way down to the lobby and looked around behind the front desk. There was no one manning the desk, so Clarke starting going through their things, eventually finding one in the office behind the desk. When she walked back up to the sixth floor, she knocked on the door and let Lexa know it was her.

“I found one,” Clarke announced when Lexa opened the door and she walked through.

“I really don’t need it,” Lexa replied as she locked the door.

“Take off your shirt,” Clarke said, ignoring her protests.

Lexa stared at her for a moment, but then looked down and gripped the bottom of her tank, pulling it over her head. As she turned around, Clarke tossed the first aid kit on the bed and opened it to look for some kind of antiseptic.

“When did this even happen?” Clarke asked

“When he grabbed me,” Lexa answered.

“Why didn’t you say anything about it?” Clarke asked, picking up what she was looking for.

“I told you, it’s nothing,” Lexa replied.

“This cut is at least six inches,” Clarke said as she opened the antiseptic swab. “It could get infected.”

“Do you really think that matters?” Lexa asked.

“Either way, it must hurt,” Clarke replied.

“I barely even feel it,” Lexa said, flinching a few moments later.

“Liar,” Clarke replied, pulling aside Lexa’s right bra strap. “You don’t always have to be so tough, you know?”

Lexa didn’t respond as Clarke continued to clean the wound as gently as she could. Even if Lexa thought it didn’t matter, Clarke wasn’t going to let it get infected, and she hoped it would help with the pain even if Lexa denied that it bothered her.

“I’m sorry if this hurts,” Clarke said.

“It doesn’t hurt,” Lexa replied, looking over her shoulder.

“Forgive me if I don’t believe you,” Clarke said, giving her a slight smile. “It’s really red.”

“It’ll be fine,” Lexa replied.

“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” Clarke whispered.

“Unfortunately, you don’t really have any control over that,” Lexa replied.

“There’s no bandage in here,” Clarke said with a sigh as she turned and began looking through he first aid kid. “I’m going to have to find another.”

“You don’t need to do that,” Lexa said, grabbing her hand as she began to turn.

“But I—”

“I don’t want you to leave,” Lexa interrupted.

Clarke opened her mouth to protest, but was quickly silenced when Lexa leaned forward and captured her lips with a sense of urgency. Nearly all thoughts of leaving the room vanished as Lexa’s tongue found hers, tangling with it.

“Really, I should—”

The rest of her statement vanished with a moan as Lexa lowered her mouth to Clarke’s neck and sucked at her pulse point before kissing her way up to Clarke’s jawline. When she pulled back and they locked eyes, Clarke could see that she was searching for any sign to stop. Rather than saying anything, though, Clarke reached down to the hem of her own shirt and pulled it over her head.

Clarke watched as Lexa’s tongue slowly ran along her bottom lip and her eyes darted down to her chest. When she looked back up, Clarke hooked her finger around Lexa’s belt-loop and pulled her closer, bringing their lips together once again, before sliding her hand around Lexa’s waist.

As Lexa lightly bit her bottom lip, eliciting another moan, she reached out and began undoing Clarke’s belt. Clarke’s began to slowly back Lexa toward the bed, her hands traveling up Lexa’s back, where she unhooked her bra one-handed. When the back of Lexa’s legs finally hit the mattress, she wrapped her hand around the back of Clarke’s neck, pulling her down until she was straddling Lexa’s waist.

“Are you sure about this?” Clarke whispered, her eyes darting down as Lexa slowly removed her open bra from her shoulders.

“Do you really have to ask?” Lexa whispered back.

***

“You’re awfully quiet,” Lexa said.

Clarke gave a tiny smile as she reached out and ran her fingers along Lexa’s arm.

“Are you okay?” Lexa asked.

“I’m great,” Clarke answered truthfully. “Well—as great as I can be all things considered. You don’t have any regrets, do you?”

“The only thing I regret is that I was too afraid to take a chance years ago,” Lexa replied. “If I had just talked to you, maybe we wouldn’t have wasted so much time.”

“Maybe,” Clarke said. “Or maybe we were meant to have this day.”

“I didn’t take you for someone who believes in fate,” Lexa said.

“I don’t know what I believe anymore,” Clarke replied.

She sighed as she looked over her shoulder at the clock. It was after two in the morning and she was tired, but she didn’t want to waste time sleeping. She didn’t know how much longer she was going to be able to stay awake, though; she’d been up for twenty hours and her eyes were beginning to get heavy.

“It’s beginning to sound like there’s a war going on outside,” Lexa commented.

“I just hope it stays out there,” Clarke said, reaching out, and picking up a pen from the bedside table.

“You don’t sound very worried,” Lexa noted.

Clarke shrugged as she turned toward Lexa, pulling the sheet up a little higher on her chest when it slipped down. “I think I’m beyond worrying. And it’s not like I can change anything.”

“No,” Lexa agreed.

Clarke put her arm up and rested her head against her hand. She looked down at Lexa, who was lying on her stomach, her head resting on her arm. Clarke couldn’t help thinking how beautiful and how peaceful Lexa looked at the moment, and she hated to think how short-lived it would probably be.

“What are you doing?” Lexa asked when Clarke leaned forward.

“Hold still,” Clarke said with a smile as she uncapped the pen.

Clarke lowered the pen to Lexa’s skin and carefully began drawing on it. Lexa raised her eyebrows and lifted her head to look at what Clarke was doing, but after a few seconds, she put her head back down.

“I’ve seen your drawings from art class,” Lexa commented.

“Oh yeah?” Clarke replied.

“You’re talented,” Lexa said. “Is that what you were planning on doing? Art school?”

Clarke shrugged. “It’s just a hobby.”

“But it’s what you love to do, isn’t it?” Lexa asked. “I’ve seen you when you’re drawing, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you happier than when you’re doing it.”

“When did you see me drawing?” Clarke wondered.

“In the park a few months ago one morning,” Lexa answered. “And when I’ve walked by the art room during lunch. You’re in there a lot.”

Clarke paused for a moment before continuing with her outline. “Drawing isn’t really a profession, though, is it?”

“That doesn’t mean you couldn’t do it,” Lexa replied.

“It doesn’t exactly matter now,” Clarke said.

“No, but if it did, what did you see yourself doing in the future?” Lexa asked.

“I don’t actually know,” Clarke admitted. “I’ve thought about going to medical school like my mother, but I don’t know. I guess I always thought I’d like to help people.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Lexa replied.

“What about you?” Clarke asked. “Other than going to school far away from here, what did you want to do?”

“I don’t know,” Lexa answered. “Maybe become a psychologist.”

“Why psychology?” Clarke wondered.

“Because I know how shitty life can be,” Lexa replied. “And I also know what it’s like to feel as if you have no one to talk to about it.”

Lexa paused and Clarke could tell there was something else that she wanted to say. Clarke wanted to tell her to go on, but she remained quiet, waiting patiently for Lexa to continue. Several minutes passed, and Lexa seemed to be lost in her thoughts, but then she pushed her lips together, took a deep breath, and said, “I’ve always felt like my mom dying was my fault.”

“How could you think that was your fault?” Clarke asked, immediately abandoning her drawing as she laid on her side to look at Lexa.

“If I hadn’t asked her to pick me up that night, she never would have been driving, and she wouldn’t have died,” Lexa said, shifting until she was lying on her back.

“That doesn’t mean it’s your fault,” Clarke replied. “You couldn’t have known that was going to happen. No one could have. The only person whose fault it is is the guy who got drunk and got behind the wheel. Your mom wouldn’t want you blaming yourself for that. You have to know that.”

“You’re the only person I’ve ever told,” Lexa softly said.

“Lexa, look at me,” Clarke said, putting her hand on the side of Lexa’s face. “I can’t imagine losing a parent like you did, but I can understand the way you feel. But I also know that it was in no way your fault, and you need to forgive yourself for it.”

Lexa sighed. “I know, but it doesn’t make it go away.”

Clarke wiped a tear away with her thumb as it began to fall down Lexa’s cheek. “I wish there was something I could say to make it better.”

“But there isn’t,” Lexa said, shaking her head. “And I don’t need you to make it better. I just wanted to say it for once in my life. I wanted you to know what I’m thinking. I want you to know me.”

“I want to know you, too,” Clarke replied. “I want to know everything about you.”

“It’s unfortunate that isn’t going to happen,” Lexa said, looking over at her with sad eyes.

“It is,” Clarke replied, her voice cracking slightly as her own tears beginning to fall. “We’ve done our best, though.”

***

“Clarke.”

Clarke turned her head and groaned into the pillow. She hadn’t intended on falling asleep, but now that Lexa was waking her up, she didn’t want to get up. Reluctantly, she lifted her head to look at the alarm clock and found that she had actually been asleep for a few hours.

“Come on,” Lexa said, grabbing her tank top, and pulling it over her head.

“Where are we going?” Clarke asked as she turned onto her back.

“The sun’s going to be up soon,” Lexa replied. “I thought we could find access to the roof and watch the sunrise.”

Clarke laid her head back on the pillow and stifled a yawn. “Give me a minute.”

“Not a morning person, I see,” Lexa commented.

“I don’t think anyone’s a morning person at five-thirty,” Clarke replied.

Lexa smiled. “Maybe not.”

“Why did you even wake up?” Clarke asked.

“I never went to sleep.” Lexa replied.

“Why didn’t you wake me, then?” Clarke asked.

Lexa gave a light shrug. “You looked peaceful.”

Clarke sat up and slowly looked around the room for her clothes. Sighing, she eventually swung her legs over the edge of the bed and padded across the floor, picking up her underwear, and putting them on before grabbing her jeans from the foot of the bed.

“Have you seen my bra?” Clarke asked when she glanced around the room and didn’t see it.

“It’s over here,” Lexa said, picking it up from her side of the bed, and tossing it to Clarke.

“Thanks,” Clarke replied. “How’s the cut on your back doing?”

Lexa shrugged and then gave her a wry smile. “I’ll live.”

Clarke shook her head but was smiling, nonetheless. “So, do you know how to get to the roof?”

“No, but I’m sure we can find it,” Lexa replied.

“And if it’s locked?” Clarke asked.

“Then we’ll just have to find a way to get in,” Lexa replied. “Maybe you can demonstrate those lock-picking skills of yours.”

“As long as it’s a normal lock, I’ll be happy to,” Clarke said.

Clarke ran her hand over her shoulder as she looked around the room. They couldn’t lock the door if they wanted to get back in, so she walked over to her backpack, the only thing they’d brought into the room, and threw it over her shoulder. It was likely that no one would try to get into the room, but she figured she should take it just in case.

“Here, you may need this,” Clarke said, realizing she still had Lexa’s leather jacket. “It might be chilly out.”

She pulled the jacket out of the bag and handed it to Lexa, who took it and immediately put it on. Clarke’s eyes darted down to Lexa’s exposed stomach when she lifted her arms to slip the jacket over them, and then they slowly roamed up her body and settled on her face.

“What?” Lexa asked when she noticed Clarke looking at her.

“Have I happened to mention how attractive you are?” Clarke asked.

“Not exactly,” Lexa said, looking a little embarrassed, though her voice remained steady.

“Well, you are,” Clarke said, taking a few steps toward Lexa. “There’s a reason I’ve had a crush on you for years.”

“And here I thought it was because of my magnetic personality,” Lexa deadpanned.

“That too,” Clarke said a slight smile. “And I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Lexa asked.

“For wasting so much time,” Clarke replied. “We could’ve had so many more days like today if I had just said something.”

“That’s both of our faults,” Lexa stated. “But it doesn’t matter. We’re here now. I got to spend the day with you, and now I’m going to watch the sun rise with you by my side.”

Lexa leaned forward and gave Clarke a soft kiss before pulling away and taking her hand. Together, they walked to the stairwell and made their way up to the top floor, where they found the door for the roof. As Lexa put her hand on the doorknob, Clarke doubted they would be lucky enough to find it unlocked, but then the brunette turned it and cracked the door open.

“I’m surprised,” Lexa said.

“Me too,” Clarke replied. “Maybe they left it open in case—”

“In case what?” Lexa asked when Clarke trailed off.

Clarke turned to look at Lexa. “In case people didn’t want to wait around for the end.”

Lexa nodded in understanding, and then opened the door the rest of the way, leading Clarke out onto the roof. The horizon already had an orange glow to it, and Clarke knew it was only a matter of time before the sun came above it.

“It looked like there were quite a few fires overnight,” Lexa said as they walked toward the edge of the roof.

“Yeah,” Clarke replied, seeing smoke billowing from more than one building as she pulled her backpack off and tossed it onto the ground.

“Just in time,” Lexa said, and Clarke looked to see that the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon.

“I’m glad you woke me up for this,” Clarke said, squeezing Lexa’s hand.

“It only seemed appropriate,” Lexa replied.

They stood there in silence for several minutes as they watched the sun slowly get higher and higher. Just as it was about to appear fully over the horizon, Clarke turned her head toward another sight. In the distance, somewhere outside of the city, a mushroom cloud had appeared.

“I should really thank you, Clarke,” Lexa said after a few moments.

“For what?” Clarke asked, averting her eyes from the cloud, and looking over at Lexa.

“For not making me spend the day alone,” Lexa said.

“I guess I should thank you, too, then,” Clarke replied. “You let me do the one thing I wanted to do before I died.”

“What’s that?” Lexa asked.

Clarke smiled at her. “I got to fall in love.”

“You allowed me to do that a long time ago,” Lexa softly said.

A small smile tugged at Clarke’s lips as she leaned forward, bringing the lips together in a soft kiss, and giving a contented sigh as she pulled away.

“At least we went out with a bang,” Clarke said, laying her head on Lexa’s shoulder.


End file.
